Help with player inspiration

[Munin]

I'm writing as a DM trying to inspire his players to develop their characters more fully. I have one player in particular who has trouble developing her characters, or finding a hook if you will, causing her to revert back to playing the same basic character over and over again.

For example, in the last few campaigns she's played a halfling rogue, a gnome rogue, a kender rogue, and now she wants to play another halfling. I don't mind this, but during character creation she expresses a desire to play something else, but then gets frustrated and goes back to a halfling.

As a DM I feel that I need to help her break this mold, so I'd like to find out what you do to find inspiration for your characters.

 

[Crothian]

Sit her down when she makes a new character and help her out. Push her away from her rouge tendencies if that is what she wants to get away from. Use characters from books and movies as examples and see what character she would most like to be like. There are some on line player question forms that may also assist in this.

 

[Munin]

There are some on line player question forms that may also assist in this.

Could you point me in the direction of a good one?
I've tried sitting her down on the side, but it's hard to keep her focused. Once we start gaming, she drifts back into cutsey halfling mode, which doesn't work when she is trying to play a gruff fighter.
I think if I could focus her attention with a question form that might help her out.

Thanks.

 

[Doug McCrae]

It could be worse. She might always play a psychopathic dwarf with an axe. Even when she's supposed to be a superhero with mental powers.

 

[Mr. Lobo]

I don't mind this, but during character creation she expresses a desire to play something else, but then gets frustrated and goes back to a halfling.

As a DM I feel that I need to help her break this mold, so I'd like to find out what you do to find inspiration for your characters.

I've never tried this but...

A) Have her list the traits of the character she would like to play and find a race/class combo that fits her description.

B) Let her roll up her new character and then think about and write down the sterotypical traits associated with it in her own words in bullet form. Have her keep that list with her as a cheat sheet when she plays so she can refer to it for role playing ideas.

OR

C) Maybe she needs to accept the fact that the hafling or rougue type is her true calling?

 

[deltadave]

Why does she get frustrated during character creation?

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

To follow up on the last question...

How long has she been playing? It seems to me that, if she's giving up on making different characters during the chargen process, she may not have a complete grasp of the rules. In an ironic sort of way, rogues are pretty easy to make- sure, they're very versatile, but their abilities are pretty much set by level, and they don't require a lot of extra rules to learn. The main thing would be distributing skill points, and the skill names are all self-explanitory.

Not like feats and spells, for example. Seeing lists with titles like "Leomund's Tiny Hut" or trying to differentiate between Rapid, Precise, and Point-Blank shots, might be putting her off. If she wants to do a fighter character, she has a ton of feats to wade through. If she wants to play a spellcaster (and that's the vast majority of the classes), then she has to learn that system and skim through a large chapter of spells. Really, rogues are one of the most mechanically light classes- you get your skills, you hit in combat, and do extra damage if the conditions are right. You don't have to worry about tweaking every little number for damage, like you would with the tank classes, or maxing out your abilities like a spellcaster.

So that's my guess as to what may be going on. I could be totally wrong, of course.